Police are searching for a thief after a whopping $35,000 worth of trading cards were stolen from a Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering card shop in California.
Pokemon and Magic cards can fetch outrageous prices from buyers thanks to their extreme rarity, with some selling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Given their worth, it’s not uncommon to see some major crimes involving such cards. Earlier in 2022, a thief smashed through a store’s wall to steal $250,000 worth of products.
Now, collectible trading card store Finch and Sparrow Games is the latest to report a series burglary in their store with $35,000 worth of goods stolen.
$35k worth of Magic cards stolen from Pokemon card store
According to ABC News, at around 2AM on Wednesday, a suspect broke into the store and stole thousands of dollars worth of cards. An employee confirmed to Dexerto that the thief had chosen Magic cards specifically.
“They swiped a shelf full of cards. It was about 60ish cards. Some older cards some, 20, 25 years old. Some newer ones that are just special, promotional, shiny foil versions. The total loss is about $35,000,” the owner of the store, Michael Aust, explained.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“The person who came in, they specifically to one area of our display case. They knew what they were going for,” he added. “Either they’ve been there or they were directed in some case.”
Amazingly, this isn’t the first time the store has been robbed. Back in January, a man walked into the store and asked to see a signed copy of an extremely prestigious Magic card, a Beta: Black Lotus worth over $40,000.
After seeing it, the man walked away with the card and into a getaway vehicle. That, along with the latest theft, is making Aust consider more security measures in the future.
So far, no arrests have been made in either case.
